Exposed! Pensioners University Professors Block Chances of Young Academicians

Nothing hurts many young academicians that professors who are supposed to be pensioners keep on appearing to the same university thereby blocking the chances of young academicians who could also offer their outstanding services to their nation.

We know from the field of academics that, the professor's job expands over to a life time job and so he should be recognised in the academic environment as well as be allowed to continue carrying out researches, which his enormous experience has furnished him with. But this should not be allowed to go on such that new academicians will be hurt and lose the opportunity they have to contribute and help their nation.

In the developing countries, the professor is recognised and allowed to continue doing his research and enjoys the hospitality of his former school, but this recognition does not cause the young academicians their job.

Their pensions are so huge that they can live upon that as well as apply research funds to engage in the area that they can contribute and have specialised in. Those who have allowed these distinguish academicians to stay around in the universities give at most 5-7 more years to be in the same institution before they retire permanently.

But in Germany, because of the large resources they have and the importance of these men to their nation, they are offered life time jobs as professors and academicians with huge sums of remunerations.

Another serious problem killing the universities in Ghana is tribalism. It has become popular in some quarters of Ghanaian universities that some minor tribes have succeeded in putting their favourites in sensitive positions, which allow them to cause devilish disturbances that destabilise the progress in the university environment.

You find these malpractices in all the states universities in Ghana. Quite a number of academicians came to help, but later found themselves entangled in this political barbarism that those who could not endure retuned to the country of origin though these universities lack qualified lecturers and professors. On many occasions there may be vacancies in the departments, but employment may not be given if one does not belong to this group or does not speak their language.

This behaviour is attributable to a group known as the university Mafia who meets all the time and sees to it that they manipulate the authorities and influence those that become head of these institutions. Several people I have interviewed believe that unless the government steps in a very wise way some of these malpractices in the universities shall hamper the future progress of the universities in Ghana. A very clever and most loved University Vice Chancellor found himself in these circumstances and brawl and so had to be removed due to the activities of the Mafia who had monopolised a very famous university in Ghana.

The Akan as a majority group have been described by many people who thought that they could be able to reason together as naive and unresponsive to the needs of their own groups. As a result of selfish interest, when an Akan leaves his position, he has no one from his tribe to replace him or her. They are found to be the tribes that least loves themselves. So though they are the majority, they continue to compete with these minor tribes who are clever and always push their people ahead to fill several positions in the country.

My interviews with some students have revealed that the Akans are being discriminated all around just because their own people/elders/academicians have betrayed them. They seem to be the minority and have exchanged roles with the smaller tribes.

How long they would remain stupid and unresponsive, no one knows! But as one proverb says 'every dog has his day'; and so one day they shall learn to act properly and become wise in their own country.

Desmond Ayim-Aboagye, a former Associate Professor in the Science of Religion at the Åbo Akademi University and Uppsala University, is currently a Visiting Scholar in the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra. Professor Ayim-Aboagye has now moved down permanently to settle and also work as a politician.

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